The aforementioned conveyors and construction machines provided with the same are known from the state of the art. The conveying means are preferably used for removing end products such as those obtained, e.g., during the milling of road surfaces. There are also construction machines, however, in which such conveying means are used for feeding construction materials.
There are different kinds of conveyors with respect to their configuration, wherein all conveyors or similar conveying means are comprised in the course of the present invention which can be pivotably arranged on a construction machine or similar machines. Therefore the present invention comprises conveyor belts, plate conveyors, continuous-flow conveyors, etc.
It is known from the state of the art to mount a conveyor on a construction machine in an articulated manner in such a way that it can be pivoted especially vertically by way of lifting cylinders or similar actuating elements in order to optimally enable, e.g., the loading of trucks of different height. Moreover, the conveyor is also dropped down to road level by way of the same actuating elements when it needs to be dismounted from the construction machine for specific applications. Depending on the construction, the actuating element remains on the dismounted conveyor, on the construction machine or on the conveyor.
Embodiments in which, e.g., a lifting cylinder remains on the construction machine have the disadvantage that the lifting cylinder that protrudes to the rear prevents reverse travel of the construction machine to an obstruction such as the wall of a building. In the case of a conveyor arranged on a road milling machine, it is therefore not possible to completely process the road surface. Moreover, the lifting cylinder represents a hazard for the machine operator because it protrudes from the construction machine in such a way that the operator may easily be injured by the same.
In the case of a conveyor equipped with such a lifting cylinder, coupling between the conveyor and the construction machine mostly occurs by way of a combination of a lifting cylinder and a pulling element, especially a steel cable or chain. It is thereby necessary, depending on the height of the truck to be loaded or when placing the conveyor on the ground or lifting it up from the ground, to shorten the chain that connects the lifting cylinder with the conveyor in an additional operating procedure by way of a shortening means for the pulling element. For this purpose, it is necessary to place the conveyor in a provided auxiliary cable and to relax the cylinder thereby.
In an embodiment in which the lifting cylinder is fastened to the conveyor, it is necessary that the lifting cylinder should be adapted with a large stroke, while the lifting cylinder remains on the belt in an extended position when the conveyor belt is placed on the ground and needs to be aligned parallel to the belt in a separate step. An additional aspect is that the cylinder needs to be fixed close to the upper conveyor belt and especially the loading area as a result of the required stroke, which has a negative effect on the lifting conditions between the machine and the conveyor. In particular, it is necessary to absorb high loads merely as a result of the lifting apparatus in addition to the conveying loads in such an arrangement of the lifting cylinder.